Beach Corner High
by Pop-X-Tart
Summary: Beach Corner High is a small beach centered community, hidden away from the troubles of the world. There, generations of friends have lived in relative peace. Though, trouble starts up when the distant rivaling school Hollow Bastion has a bone to pick. Just what is Beach Corner hiding, and more importantly, why are the students the ones having to clean up the mess? AU
1. Day 1 New School Year

When the sun rose over Beach Corner County, the whole seaside town seemed to slowly wake and fall into its morning routines.

Parents dragged themselves out of their warm, comfortable beds to wake children in a more zombie-like state than them. Then, they'd shuffle to the kitchen to brew some of that magic coffee; every few minutes between sips going to give said children a secondary wake-up or two for school. By six thirty, some of the more disciplined youth were already awake and ready for the bus that would lazily grumble down the streets around seven A.M. The extra time allowed them to enjoy a slow breakfast, or in some cases give extra attention to their makeup or general appearance.

Beach Corner County was a small town, probably of about three-three hundred fifty people. There was an equal balance of children and young adults, and the retirement community that dwelled in the heart of town took care of the resident's elders too. It was a short drive to just about anything, and while the small town feel was nice for some, some of the youth were restless and wanted to travel beyond the small town shops that bordered the outside of the county. Every summer bands of teenagers would head out to the not too far Seynid City to spend their time and munny. It was the stereotypical idea for anyone's dream city. Large, towering buildings that almost blocked out the sky, neon signs and enticing vendors on every block. A good majority of adults from not just Beach Corner County, but surrounding areas worked here. Obviously the theme for Seynid City was entertainment, but there were a few management buildings for those that liked a calmer life.

It was almost like the beach dominated region was its own little quaint world.

Beach Corner County, meanwhile, was divided into three regions. For one, there was the beach zone. Most of the sunburned youth lived here in their beach houses or most the time with distant family. It was known for its beautiful sands and waves, and more importantly all the attention it got on the weekends and warm days. Just behind the rows of houses that dotted the seashore from a few yards, there was a jogger's path. Whenever the weather permitted, ice-cream vendors would set up shop along the path- successfully annoying the occasional biker. Behind the jogger's path was a small line of trimmed grass that separated it from the highway. Though…one lane road was a better term. Vehicles weren't common in the county, unless one had a job somewhere like Seynid City. So, walking was the norm or mostly bikes. But since the school was only a few blocks away, parents weren't fond of dishing out 5,000 munny for a bicycle. Besides, no one seemed to mind anyway. The next region was the most common and populated of Beach Corner. It was the standard housing and small business community. In maintained little subdivisions and backroads, it was pretty average. Still though, most of the youth traveled to the beach anyway since there wasn't much to do here. The last region was the rich community. These large houses were on the distant borders of the county, away from Seynid City and all the little shops that decorated the borders. Since these houses owned a lot of land, there wasn't many of them to begin with. Few could actually afford these houses- unless they had really good jobs over in Seynid. Less than a quarter of students in this region actually went to the local school, or simply didn't bother and paid for their own private schooling.

In the heart of the beach zone, a comfortable sized beach hut stood a short distance from the waves. Listening to them almost edged it's sleeping occupant into a deeper sleep, until-

A small rock bounced off the window. Since the two story house on tall stilts was high up, it was no accident this rock flew up. Just near the white beams that supported the foundation, two young teenagers stood and looked up.

"Do you think he's awake?" A girl asked, with short red hair tucked behind one side of her ear. She wore a plain white blouse and skirt, with dark brown boots made more for appearance than any wearing.

Her friend had yet to take his bright cyan eyes away from the window. He seemed to squint. "I'll check. Go ahead and catch the bus, Kairi. If we don't make it then we'll see you there."

Kairi looked at him a moment, then glanced up at the window, before nodding. She walked off towards the nearest bus stop, once calling over her shoulder. "I'm not making any more excuses for you guys, Riku!"

The silver haired male seemed to chuckle under his breath, before heading to the light wooden steps that led up to the main floor. As usual, the door was unlocked and the fresh scent of an empty coffee container hit him. The house was small, but content for some. Right in front of the doorway was the living room, which consisted of a small couch, recliner and t.v propped in the corner. Directly to his right was a small corner for the kitchen- where he spotted only drops left in the coffee maker.

"His mom must have already left…" Riku figures, soon turning his eyes to the stairs that led to the second floor. Though, it was mostly just an attic room that his friend slept in. Rolling his shoulder in readiness, Riku jogged up. His foot caught on the last step- thanks to the messy clothes that littered the floor. The teenager wrinkled his nose at the socks that were inches from his nose.

"Sora! We're gonna be late!"

Like the dead had an injection of expresso, a mass shot out from the mess of nearby covers and pillows. A boy, perhaps a few months younger than Riku, scrambled around the room. Surprisingly his messy brown hair wasn't even bedhead.

"W-What time is it?"

Riku merely raised his eyebrows in amusement. No matter how many times he had to come up here, his best friend always found a way to never learn to get up on time…

"Six fifty- nine." He noted, lowering his wrist down.

"What?! No! I got that big test for first period!" The brunette shouted, not realizing why his pants didn't fit over his head till he realized his rush.

Riku crossed his arms and turned.

"Sucks."

"Riku!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who _always_ sleeps in."

There was more fumbling as his friend finally got dressed, with a mix-matched pair of socks and shorts that made the school fashionistas cringe. Then, Riku found an arm slung around his head and he was nearly falling down the stairs.

"Come on!"

"Hey-!"

"Where's Kairi?"

"She's already gone ahead!"

"You mean we missed the bus?"

Riku panted for breath as he fell into the sand, soon sending an annoyed glare over. Especially as the brunette made a bee-line for the bus stop.

"_The things I do_…Sora!"

After five quick, rushed minutes, the two finally stumbled into Beach Corner High School. The boys were red in the face, breathing hard, and had to force their legs to move to class.

"You…you owe me…big time." Riku managed, venturing off down a different hall. Sora mustered a small smile to himself and continued on.

At least, until a hand clasped his shoulder.

"Let's see… Sora. How am I not surprised?"

The teenager tensed and scrunched his blue eyes. He was caught... With reluctance, he turned his head and met the somewhat scolding, but amused eyes of one of the coaches.

"Morning… Mr. Terra…"

The older brunette merely shook his head. "Be happy I'm not the truancy officer, Sora. If I hadn't been out here to break up Seifer's fight here earlier, I might not have caught you. C'mon, let's get to class… I might be able to give an excuse to your teacher."

Sora perked and smiled. "Really? Thanks!"

"Sure. Who's your first period teacher?"

"It's science. Mr. Vex-"

Almost instantly Terra turned on his heel, tossing a pre-made excuse note over his shoulder. "You're on your own kid!"

Sora blinked, then slowly smiled.

It was no secret Mr. Vexen wasn't liked, but by teachers too?

"_Are you scared of_-"

"You just earned two miles around the forest Sora!" Was shouted as the teacher rounded the corner, away from sight.

It was still worth it in Sora's mind, and it almost made him forget the chilling looks from his teacher he'd soon get over being late.


	2. Day 1 The Other Side

Across the school in the creative hall, all was calm and fairly quiet in the art room. Most were focused quietly on their work, and a few friends here and there talked amongst themselves. The Art teacher seemed fairly relaxed, preferring to obviously have a 'do as you please' day while she read a book.

In the corner table, three friends sat together.

"Man…where's the glue?"

"Didn't you use it all to make your hair stand up like that?"

"Very funny, Axel. Not."

A snicker left the tall senior, and he turned his green eyes back to his work. "This project is silly though. Who comes up with the idea to 'reflect your inner feelings into art'? Sounds like some hippie new age thing from Seynid City." The red head scoffed, in the process getting a few strands of his hair stuck in the drying paint below him. While he grumbles and picks it out, the blonde at his side shrugs. "I don't know who came up with it. But at least we're not drawing a flower or something... The first day here was _brutal_. So many weird art terms…"

"True. But we get this class every day. Think of how confusing those terms must be for someone who only comes here two times a week."

"I guess you're right..."

Silence again followed the table, with various hums of thought and turning of heads for a better perspective. Or the occasional travel to visit a table with better supplies or bickering over how something was supposed to look.

The blonde student glanced over and caught sight of his friend's work. Immediately he burst out laughing. "What is that supposed to be, Axel?"

Axel looked surprised, before a defensive expression fell over his features. "It's 'my inner feelings in art', obviously." It almost looked like his face was matching his bright red hair. "Now what did you draw, great artist Roxas?"

Roxas rolled his blue eyes and turned down to the paper in his hands. "Y'know… I have no idea."

The two met another's eyes and began laughing. Then, Axel lifted his head. "Hey, been pretty quiet over there Xion. What's yours?"

Across the table, as if snapping from deep thought, a young girl with short black hair lifted her head. "Huh? Oh…sorry. My mind's been elsewhere."

"You better hurry." Axel mused smugly. "Once it's Friday everything gets turned in as is." He quoted, nodding his head to the big letters on the white board nearby. Xion only closed her eyes, sighing quietly. Roxas furrowed his brows. "You okay there? You look a bit pink on the cheeks."

Axel too focused his eyes on his friend.

Xion turned her head aside. "I think it's all these paint fumes. I've got a bad headache and feel a bit dizzy, really."

It didn't take long for that tinge of protectiveness that Axel felt that pushed him to his feet. "Let's go to the clinic."

Roxas watched. "You're gonna help her there?" he clarified.

"Yeah," he says, placing an arm around the small girl. "I'm practically done with my work anyway. Go ahead and finish up. Just make sure Rai doesn't lean over my work to get something. Last thing I need is muffin crumbs in my stuff again." He frowned, heading to the teacher with Xion at his side. The teacher all too kindly let them leave. After that, everyone went back to their work. Roxas thought about his female friend's health a few moments more before resuming his work. So far, it was turning out weird. Roxas wasn't fond of deep things like one's inner feelings, so, so far, he was putting down whatever came to mind. Right now it was simply a night sky, with a dark purplish blue horizon. But, it seemed like the middle of the page was missing something…

At least it was better than Axel's, that much was for sure. A bunch of fire? Really? "Pyromaniac." Roxas mumbles to himself, casting a brief glance up at Xion's abandoned work. Out of the three, she had the most talent. She took her time with each detail- but unfortunately it meant she was slower… Luckily, the teacher understood and made time exceptions for good quality. From what he could see, it was only sketches of a tower so far…

"Are you using that?"

Roxas turned his head, and jumped.

A small blonde girl stood there, looking at him curiously.

"Oh, uh…what?"

The smile that reached her face made him tug at his collar. Did the heating go up in here?

"The pen. It's Axel's right? I don't think he'd mind. I just need to sign my name on the back."

Roxas blinked and quickly grabbed it. "Oh, sure. Go ahead Naminé."

As she nodded her thanks and turned her work over, Roxas swallowed and did everything he could to not appear nervous. And, luckily, she didn't notice.

"Is your friend okay? She didn't look so good."

Roxas frowned a bit. "Xion should be okay. It's probably too much paint fumes in here." From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Naminé set her work down and went to the nearby window. She pulled it open, allowing fresh air in and a good view of the green courtyard. "That might help. I hope she'll be okay."

But Roxas attention was on Naminé's project, which he stared at with an open mouth and wide eyes. "Woah..." As Naminé walked back, he went back into his seat. "Sorry. Didn't mean to gawk… What is it, anyway? A castle?" It wasn't a surprise to Roxas, but somehow, each time he saw her work, he was amazed. There was a reason Naminé was one of the best artists around, and how she always flew by these art classes. Her top grades and understanding allowed her some freedom others didn't have. She could do her own projects, and even helped the teacher sometimes. Others called her a pet, but with her kind nature, it was hard to do.

Naminé nodded. "Yes, it's a castle. Though… I still can't think of a name for it."

The seat suddenly being filled at Roxas' side startled him. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Axel grinned towards the freshmen. While Roxas glared at him, Naminé left to turn in her work. Seeing that she was gone, Roxas slumped.

"So…how's Xion?"

Axel went back to his work, putting some last minute touches on his flame work. He seemed pleased Rai's crumbs weren't around. "She'll be fine. Bit of a fever so she's going home."

"Oh…"

"Hm?"

"It's just, I promised I'd help her with gym later. We're going out to the pool and…"

"Right. She doesn't like the water."

Roxas nodded. "Last time someone pushed her in. If she keeps missing swim lessons she might fail gym."

"Have you talked to Terra?"

Roxas nodded. "He said he always keeps an eye out… Though, Xion is going to have to be the one to get over her fear."

Axel rolled his shoulder uncomfortably. "Jeez, I hated those water classes… Makes me glad I'm not a freshman though." He chuckled, sending a joking look over. Roxas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you're not gonna be stuck here for three more years either."

Gradually, Axel's smile fell, and uncharacteristically quiet he resumed his work. Roxas appeared guilty and looked back at that empty spot on his page.

Right… How could he have carelessly reminded Axel that in the short year ahead, they'd all be _split up_, when he can't even figure out what to draw on a paper…


End file.
